This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
Defects, injuries and abnormalities in the thoracic cavity, including defects associated with the rib cage, chest wall, and sternum, can cause several problems and lead to long term complications. For example, defects in the thoracic cavity can restrict lung capacity and lead to difficulty breathing. Moreover, thoracic cavity defects leave many of the body's vital organs (e.g., lungs, heart, liver, etc.) susceptible to traumatic injury. These defects can arise from congenital deformities (e.g., pectus excavatum or hollow chest, Poland syndrome, fused ribs, etc.) or disease (e.g., cancer). In some cases, surgery may be required to correct the defects in the thoracic cavity. Known surgical techniques often use metal reconstructive devices or implants. The reconstructive devices are often fixed to existing tissue or bone, and focus primarily on small, localized defects in the thoracic cavity. In this regard, it may be desirable to provide a surgical system and method that allows a user to repair variously sized defects in the thoracic cavity, and/or repair the defects when the amount of available tissue and/or bone is limited.